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When Dillon Gabriel was named the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback before Week 5, Shedeur Sanders’ role remained unchanged as the third-string quarterback and Joe Flacco became the backup.
However, even with Flacco now with the Cincinnati Bengals, it remains to be seen if Sanders will get the promotion to be the backup.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has not committed to Sanders being the backup, and Bailey Zappe was elevated to the practice squad, drawing the ire of ESPN analyst Ryan Clark.
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Ryan Clark said the Cleveland Browns and Shedeur Sanders should “part ways” if he is not named backup quarterback. (Getty Images)
“If [Sanders] is not named backup quarterback, it’s time to part ways. It’s time to trade it. It’s time to take it out of your locker room. Because your development plan is not to develop Shedeur Sanders as the future starter on your team, and too many things come with it if you don’t see that kind of plan for him,” Clark said on Thursday’s edition of “First Take.”
Flacco will start for the Bengals on Sunday after Jake Browning lost each of his three starts following Joe Burrow’s injury.
“Well, first of all, I will tell you that the Joe trade took us by surprise,” Stefanski said Wednesday. “It’s not something that we saw coming. You know, they called us, and it happened very quickly and not that long ago. So, I’m always working on all types of things. I always have to be attentive to our players and their development, and I want to make sure that I’m always doing what’s best for our players and, of course, for our team. But, with the young players, I always think about last week, making the change for Dillon (Gabriel).
Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers at Huntington Bank Field on September 21, 2025 in Cleveland. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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“You have to think long and hard about it because these are young players that you’re so invested in their development. So, I’m going to let the week play out and make a decision later.”
Stefanski called Zappe “the elder statesman around” given his history of starting the team’s games. New England Patriots. He also mentioned that Deshaun Watson showed some leadership even though he couldn’t play this season.
Stefanski made the decision last week to allow Gabriel, who was two rounds ahead of Sanders in April, to make his first NFL start in London against the Minnesota Vikings. Gabriel threw two touchdowns in his first start, but the Vikings rallied late to beat the Browns, 21-17, and Cleveland fell to 1-4.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders against the Philadelphia Eagles during a game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 16, 2025. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)
Sanders didn’t comment on being stuck at the top rope last week, and instead mimed when asked about it. He did, however, react to the Flacco trade.
“I’m just happy for him,” Sanders said.
